House Bunting

Overview

The house bunting (Emberiza sahari) is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae. It is a resident breeder of dry country across northwestern Africa, though it has recently expanded its range to include southern Spain. The species was split from the striolated bunting and is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Size 14 cm long, similar to the striolated bunting but smaller than the rock bunting.
• Breeding males have a sandy orange-brown body and a grey head slightly dark-streaked, lacking the white supercilium of the striolated bunting.
• Females possess a head with a brown tint to the grey and more diffused streaking.
• Song is given from a perch and is similar to, but weaker than, that of the common chaffinch.

Habitat

It inhabits dry country across northwestern Africa, ranging from Morocco south to Mali and east to Chad. The species breeds around human habitation and has expanded from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco northwards to the Strait of Gibraltar. In 2023, the house bunting bred in Europe for the first time in Algeciras, southern Spain.

Diet

Natural food consists of seeds, while insects are consumed when feeding young.

Did you know?

In Morocco, the species is traditionally regarded as sacred and has become very tame, freely entering and feeding inside houses, shops, and mosques.